Albus ‘The Buddha’ Brooks: Politicians, Drugs And Money

It is said that politicians are attracted to money like flies to a dung heap. In Denver no one loves the smell of money more than City Council President Albus Brooks, a close ally of ethically challenged Mayor Michael Hancock. He is expected to succeed Hancock in four years assuming Hancock prevails in his quest for a third term this spring.

Brooks has the full confidence and support of the high-density developers that own and control Mayor Hancock. Brooks’ subservience to developers has gotten him in trouble at times with some of his constituents in District 9. Developers have begun to gentrify his district with high-density developments driving some African American families out of Denver where they have lived for generations. His tone deafness over the Ink! Coffee shop controversy highlighted how out of touch he was with the many issues important to the residents of his District. Brooks has only exasperated his problems by his remarks on Colorado Public Radio where he appeared not to grasp the concept that “involuntary displacement” was very much of a concern to homeowners in Five Points, Elyria-Swansea and other neighborhoods in his District.

Brooks infamously declared on the radio: “Displacement is not in the home ownership category. It’s in the rental category and someone cannot afford what their landowner is jacking up the price with, right? And so, that is something that we are working very hard on.”

These comments helped Candi CdeBaca decide to run against him this spring in the city election. She has stated: “He didn’t understand the nuances of involuntary displacement. That is directly connected to his power and his purview. He should know all of the ins and outs of it.”

What Brooks does understand is money or more specifically how as a politician he gets his hands on as much of it as possible. While high density developers strongly support him as he does their bidding, he is not particularly liked by them on a personal basis. His cryptic nickname among some developers and lobbyists is “The Buddha.” It is not that he has any interest in that Eastern religion but rather the fact that many statues of the Buddha have him sitting with his left palm pointing upward. According to his critics Brooks shakes your hand with his right hand while his left palm points upward to be greased.

This leads to his latest money-making scheme — heroin injection sites. There is big money to be had by politicians in drugs these days. On the Republican side Colorado Senator Cory Gardner and former Speaker of the U.S. House John Boehner have become ardent advocates for the legalization of marijuana across the country notwithstanding spending most of their political careers adamantly opposed the same. What changed? Once pot was legalized in states like Colorado and California there arrived a river of money for politicians and lobbyists who would help overcome federal constraints on the drug.

Brooks’ nose for money has led him to an even more lucrative drug field — heroin. Mexican drug cartels are facing a crisis. With legalization of marijuana in various states no one needs the cartels to grow marijuana in Mexico and ship it across the border. Moreover, cocaine is no longer the drug of the young and the hip and usage is dramatically down. What is up is opioid addiction and in particular heroin addiction. What is holding back this growth market is the terrible stigma attached to heroin use.

That is where politicians like Brooks can help. He has gotten the Denver City Council to approve so called “safe injection sites.” Heroin users are provided free needles, syringes, septic pads and a private place to shoot up. Medical attendants will be there to administer Naloxone in case of an overdose. Of course, once you have one site you will need many more as addicts driving to and from a single injection site to get their multiple daily fixes is generally not to be encouraged.

If you want more of something you subsidize it, but that is not the key service Brooks is providing to the cartels. What the cartels need to grow their heroin businesses is for the stigma of heroin use to disappear. What better way than state and municipal sanctioned and supported “safe” injection sites to say to today’s youth that the hellish existence of a heroin addict is just one of many different but acceptable lifestyle choices. In places like Vancouver, Canada where there are safe injection sites, the use of heroin has skyrocketed and while there are no reported deaths at the sites there plenty nearby.

The Buddha, of course, is just trying to be “compassionate” to heroin users and the cartels who support and nurture them. Brooks will get rich in the process. If there is any justice in this world, kids and their families who become addicted to heroin because of the actions of Councilman Albus Brooks will someday go visit him in what grand mansion he will be ensconced in to personally thank him for the destruction and damage he has wrought to them.